Trumpeter swans were reintroduced to the Detroit Lakes area in Becker County in the 1980s.
“They are a native species that we had lost due to habitat loss and over-hunting for their meat, skin and feathers back when the state was first settled and there were no regulations,” Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) area wildlife supervisor Erik Thorson said. “By the 1880s, they had disappeared from Minnesota, so trumpeter swan eggs were brought to Minnesota from Alaska and those offspring released to reestablish the population. Carol Henderson was the one who started the statewide program. Back then birds had neck collars on with letters and numbers that people could read with binoculars. They also had metal leg bands similar to how we band geese to keep track of them. They are a popular bird and loved by a lot of folks.”
According to the DNR website, the Nongame Wildlife Program released 21 two-year-old trumpeter swans in May near the Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge in Becker County. From 1988 to 1994, the program released 217 additional trumpeter swans into the wild in Nicollet, Becker, Itasca and St. Louis counties.
While no trumpeter swans were released in Hubbard County, they made their way here from Becker County.
“Trumpeter swans are very territorial. They moved into surrounding areas as their population grew,” Thorson said.
Thorson works out of the Park Rapids DNR office and sees the majestic birds, which are popular with bird watchers, often.
“Their breeding range is continuing to expand into suitable habitat,” he said. “They are just about everywhere. They are herbivores who feed on plant materials, including wild rice. When I first came here in 2001, I think they were all foraging aquatically for vegetation. Now, as their numbers have grown, I see them in fields feeding on crop residue as well.”
Thorson said one of the best places to spot the birds is in larger wetlands and shallow lakes with enough space to take off and land. Upper Bottle Lake and the Crow Wing chains are two popular spots for viewing.
Thorson said in addition to their beauty, swans also have an ecological role.
“They forage in water that Canada geese and mallards can’t,” he said. “They’re messy eaters and bring up bits of plants from deeper water that they leave behind for other waterfowl to forage on.”
Some swans stay in the area all winter as long as there is open water.
“Historically, they would have migrated to the southern states, but because the birds were introduced here from Alaska, they had no knowledge of migratory routes or stops,” he said. “That’s why they ended up staying here over the winter or only going a little ways into southern Minnesota.That migration knowledge was lost. There was nothing to lead them where to go.”
He said it’s never a good idea to feed wildlife, including water fowl. “They get acclimated to people and depend on that food source,” he said. “It can also spread disease.”
Trumpeter swans build mounds of vegetation in the water near the shoreline for their nests.
“We had a pair sitting on a nest near our place,” he said. “One thing that’s a little unusual about swans is that the male will sit on the nest, too, to help incubate and keep the clutch of eggs warm so the female can go off and forage for a little bit. Male trumpeter swans may also try to defend the nest and young brood and come at people, Canada geese or boats if they get too close. The babies are susceptible to predators like snapping turtles who can grab them from underneath, raptors or other predators on the shoreline.”
For more information about trumpeter swans, go to the DNR website which also includes the history of the Trumpeter Swans Restoration Project or trumpeterswansociety.org. The non-profit organization, founded in 1968 is dedicated to assuring the welfare of wild trumpeter swans. There is also a tab on the website to report a swan sighting.
Lorie Skarpness has lived in the Park Rapids area since 1997 and has been writing for the Park Rapids Enterprise since 2017. She enjoys writing features about the people and wildlife who call the north woods home.
